Dr. Seuss wrote dozens of children’s books, many of which have touched the lives of thousands of children and adults across the world. I wanted to write this article to reflect on these seemingly silly stories to reveal how many of Dr. Seuss’s quotes exemplify important morals that are incredibly relevant to us today as young adults.
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
A person is a person no matter what nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, economic status, position, title, age, education level, political association, marital status, height, weight… they are. We have the tendency to focus on and emphasize differences rather than focusing on our similarities. There is an overwhelming similarity between all humans to belong, yet we outcast each other, judge each other, and victimize each other based on insignificant differences. No matter who you are or where you come from, we’re all just people.
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out!”
There are so many cultural and societal pressures placed on us to follow a certain path, do certain things, go to certain colleges, join certain groups, apply for certain jobs, live in certain places, befriend certain people, etc. I think the message here is clear: why be boring and blend in when life can be so colorful and fulfilling if you follow your own path? Be proud of who you are and do not be afraid to flaunt it!
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
Feelings are often seen as a weakness in American culture. Whether it’s happiness and excitement or sorrow and depression, we are taught to control our feelings. This isn’t natural, and we should all surround ourselves by people who encourage us to express ourselves in healthy ways. Expressing yourself should be a liberating act that frees you of troubles and allows you to seek comfort, reassurance, and empathy from others.
“All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you’ll be quite a lot!”
Learning how to be alone is something that is typically framed as scary and even weird. We are taught how to be social and that it is better to be surrounded by people, yet we are never taught how to successfully be with ourselves. Spending time alone can be refreshing and give us time to reflect, relax, and refuel. However, we often do not think of alone time in that way. We think of it as lonely. Being alone and being lonely are very different. I think the message here is that you are stuck with yourself and you need to learn how to love yourself. To love yourself you need to learn how to be alone with yourself, which is a skill that takes practice and determination. If you are not used to being alone it might feel quiet and strange. But after some practice, it will likely lead you to feel calm and reflective.
“Step with care and great tact, and remember that life’s a great balancing act.”
Balance is the key to living a fulfilled life. We need to balance our time, our energy, our money, our relationships, our work, our free-time, and everything in between. Balancing different parts of our lives will never go away, so we need to look at it with confidence and know that it can be done with a little effort and a lot of consideration.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.”
This is a lesson about passion. Find your passion and act on it to make a difference in this world. If you see something happening that is wrong or that can be fixed, get out there and do it. There is nothing stopping you from achieving that goal and impacting other people in a positive way. Strive for greatness and you will attain it! Whatever your passion is, you are serving yourself and the world around you if you do what feels right and show others (and yourself) compassion.